Am I not allowed to add layers to my Freestudy entry anymore? Like, can I add a Levels adjustment layer? How about a burn layer... Why does it seem like Standard Editing is what Basic used to be? I finally picked my camera up, and ya'll went and changed everything on me. ;)

There's really very little you can't do in Standard. It's nothing like Basic, more like Advanced on steroids. Look specifically at the last part of the "You Must..." paragraph:

Originally posted by Standard Rules:

This rule is intended to allow HDR imaging, focus-stacking, "crowd removal" composites, "light painting", astro-photography, and panoramic or other techniques that use multiple, nearly simultaneous, images of a scene stitched together into a single image.

Essentially, the only things that are really not allowed are composites of different scenes and combining very long time lapses.

I saw that part of the rule, but the way it's worded made it sound like it was specifically talking about the allowance of more than one image of a single scene; it didn't seem to carry to the rest of the rules. The "you may" section mentions cloning, but doesn't mention layers or dodge/burn. If the "You must" bit is what is allowing me to do these things, one might think that I "must" do those things.

I think Bear straightened me out on this a long time ago, but coming back with fresh eyes again it was again confusing. I'm still not confident based on the words I read, but am fairly confident based on what I think to be the intent.

So, yeah, I'm in on my first Freestudy in just under 3 years. Ugh... life...

...So, yeah, I'm in on my first Freestudy in just under 3 years. Ugh... life...

LOL, I feel your pain. Last year was a bit of a disaster. This year my participation is way up, though. I had three entries all of last year, currently at eight for this year and will be at least ten, probably eleven before the end of August.

...So, yeah, I'm in on my first Freestudy in just under 3 years. Ugh... life...

LOL, I feel your pain. Last year was a bit of a disaster. This year my participation is way up, though. I had three entries all of last year, currently at eight for this year and will be at least ten, probably eleven before the end of August.